Be a Ripple in Someone’s Story

Be a Ripple in Someone’s Story

“In a gentle way, you can shake the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi

We all dream of making a big impact, maybe even changing the world.

But lately, I’ve been reflecting on something important: Sometimes, the most profound impact happens when we focus on making small, seemingly insignificant, yet wildly important ripples in someone’s daily story.

Take a moment to think about those in your life who’ve made a difference for you.

For me, people like Phil, the local restaurant manager down the street from our condo, who brings people together with a warm smile, an encouraging wave, and a friendly demeanor. Or the front desk team member at the gym on Saturdays, whose energy fills the room and makes every workout a joy. And the coffee shop barista who greets me with a smile and automatically knows to bring me an unsweetened, iced almond milk latte downstairs while I set up to work for the day.  Or even my husband, Joal whose daily intention is to serve, to help others – no matter where we go he is open and alert to where he can offer a hand, a word of encouragement, or even simply an ear to listen.

These people aren’t changing the world on a grand scale, but they’re changing the world for those they touch. They’re proof that you don’t need to impact millions to make a difference. 

So, how can you have a big impact on someone’s story today? 

1. Find Your Place: Whether it’s a local café, gym, or community group, find a space where you can show up regularly and make it your second home. 

2. Engage Deeply: Don’t just show up—get involved. Volunteer, connect, and contribute in ways that make a difference to those around you. 

3. Take your Time: Set the intention to not rush each day, look up, listen, and take your time. 

4. Recognize Your Ripple Effect: Remember, your impact on one person can ripple out to others. The world may be big, but small, meaningful actions can create waves of change. 

And if you’re looking to be in a room with growth-minded individuals who are ready to make their own wavesjoin us at the Amplify Your Life Growth Summit. 

It’s the perfect place to connect, learn, and start making that impact.

You can join us for only $199 for a few more days! 

Let’s focus on shaking our corner of the world, one person at a time. 

Ready to put yourself in the room with other thought-leaders and change-makers who ask the BEST questions and share the BEST strategies and BEST practices Join us Sept 21st in Bend, Oregon:
 
Check for available seats to the AYL Growth Summit HERE.
P.S. – Tickets are on sale for only $199 right now!
For more, follow The Amplified Life Company @carmenohling on LinkedIn and Instagram 
Are You Letting Comfort Creep Hold You Back?

Are You Letting Comfort Creep Hold You Back?

Lately, I’ve been diving deep into understanding why so many people are feeling stuck, discouraged, and not fully living out their dreams. I kept coming across a concept that hit home: Comfort Creep.
 
What is Comfort Creep? 
 
Comfort Creep is that sneaky process where, little by little, we start avoiding discomfort. We stick to what’s easy, familiar, and safe, unknowingly lowering our standards and holding ourselves back from growth. We might shy away from tough workouts, challenging projects, or difficult conversations—not because we’re incapable, but because we’ve become too comfortable. Over time, this can lead to a life that’s not only unchallenging but also unfulfilling. 
 
Why Does This Matter? 
 
Let’s talk numbers: 
 
  • 95% of diets fail because maintaining long-term lifestyle changes is uncomfortable.
  • 33% of Americans cite fear of failure as the reason they never start their dream business.
  • 92% of New Year’s goals go unachieved because the discomfort of persistence often wins.
  • Only 33% of employees feel actively engaged in their work, with many avoiding the discomfort of taking on new challenges or learning new skills, leading to career stagnation.
  • 70% of employees avoid difficult conversations at work, which can lead to unresolved conflicts and hinder personal and professional growth.
  • 25% of Americans have stayed in an unsatisfying relationship because they fear the discomfort of confronting issues or being alone.
 
These stats show that avoiding discomfort can keep us from reaching our fullest potential, whether it’s in our health, career, or personal growth. We’re all capable of more, but Comfort Creep quietly convinces us to settle for less.
 
So, how do we break free from Comfort Creep? 
 
Here are three powerful steps you can take today: 
 
1. Get Comfortable with Discomfort: Start by embracing small challenges daily.  Push yourself a little harder in your workouts, take on that project you’ve been avoiding, or initiate that tough conversation. The more you practice, the more resilient you become.
 
2. Shift Your Mindset: Reframe discomfort as a sign of growth.  Instead of seeing it as something to avoid, see it as a necessary step towards your goals. Remember, every great achievement was once uncomfortable.
 
3. Get in the Room with Growth-Minded People: Surrounding yourself with people who challenge and expand you is one of the most powerful ways to break free from Comfort Creep.  That’s exactly why I’m inviting you to join us at the Amplify Your Life Growth Summit on September 21st in Bend, Oregon. This is your chance to connect with growth-minded individuals, learn from top leaders, and take actionable steps toward the life you truly want. 
 
(Only 22 seats are left, so grab yours here for only $199: Amplify Your Life Growth Summit)
 
Don’t let Comfort Creep hold you back from the life you’re meant to live.
 

You’re capable of so much more, and it all starts with stepping out of your comfort zone. 

 

Here’s to your growth and greatness,

Carmen

For more, follow The Amplified Life Company @carmenohling on LinkedIn and Instagram 
The Power of Asking Better Questions In Community

The Power of Asking Better Questions In Community

I’m obsessed with asking better questions, specifically self-reflection questions. 

Why?

Because I’ve seen firsthand in my life and the lives of our clients – the power of self-reflection through asking better questions. 

I think seeing the right question at the right time can completely change the trajectory of your life, and I have been a witness to this many times over. 

Yes, they’re that powerful. 

Below are three of my favorite questions we’ve been asking this year within the Amplified Life Company as we are navigating substantial growth: 

  1. What can you do to become 1% better today? 
  2. If you keep your current habits, will your life and career become better or worse?  
  3. What is getting too much attention from you during your day?  What is not getting enough?

When was the last time you had time to think, reflect, and process using high-caliber questions that led to a breakthrough, idea, or growth? 

Watch the below video, where I share the reality of “doing it alone” vs “doing it in collaboration with others” – it’s honestly the cheat code to life and business!! THIS VIDEO 

Are you option 1 or 2 right now in your life and career? 

BE HONEST with yourself here.

For years and years, I ️chose 1.  It was hard, long, isolating, and frustrating, and I often thought, “Why not me, I am doing everything they’re doing!”  I know, so revealing, right, but we’ve all been there – you are not alone!  

Now, look at this:

Last week, surveyed several leaders and entrepreneurs, and they said unanimously that the one thing they were missing was the PEOPLE and COMMUNITY of high performers they know they need to surround themselves with to get to the next level of success and freedom in their life and business….

This is exactly why we are hosting the Amplify Your Life event, and if you are joining us at the AYL Growth Summit next month in Bend, Oregon, we will be asking questions like these and more!  

At AYL, you’ll have the opportunity to shift your perspective, learn, grow, connect, and collaborate at the HIGHEST LEVEL possible!!

Questions?  Email us at hello@carmenohling.com

 

For more, follow The Amplified Life Company @carmenohling on LinkedIn and Instagram 
3 Steps to Help You Check In with Yourself Personally and Professionally

3 Steps to Help You Check In with Yourself Personally and Professionally

 

 

As a leader, it’s important to have boundaries personally and professionally, but if you’re anything like me you might feel guilty enforcing them at times.
A great leader has a healthy, prioritized mix of selfish boundaries and unselfish giving.

You don’t have to always be all things, all the time, to everyone.   Sometimes you pour out your cup for others and sometimes you need to relentlessly refill your cup. 

As you’re reading this what does this moment call for?

How do you know?

It’s a delicate integration of energy, enthusiasm, empathy, and self-awareness, but it’s one you must master if you want to lead effectively without burning out, losing your passion, or becoming resentful.

 

Below are three steps to help you check in with yourself both personally and professionally: 

 

1. Pause and Reflect

Take a moment to pause and ask yourself, “How am I really feeling right now?”

Not the surface-level, autopilot answer you might give in passing, but a deeper check-in. Are you tired, energized, overwhelmed, or languishing?

This simple act of self-awareness can be revealing. If you’re running on empty, it’s a sign that you need to refill your cup. If you’re feeling full, maybe it’s time to pour some of that energy into others.

 
 

2. Assess Your Current Commitments

Look at what’s on your plate. Is it manageable, or are you teetering on the edge of overwhelm? 

This isn’t just about how much you have to do, but how those tasks align with your values and goals.

Are your commitments feeding your growth and well-being, or are they draining you?

If you find that your responsibilities are more of a burden than a blessing, it’s time to reassess and set some boundaries.

 

3. Check Your Energy Exchange

Consider the relationships and activities in your lifeare they reciprocal, or are you constantly giving without receiving? 

healthy energy exchange is key to maintaining your highest character and capacity. If you’re always the one pouring out, eventually, you’ll run dry.

Take stock of where your energy is going and adjust as needed to ensure that you’re not depleting yourself.

 

In these moments of reflection, you’re not just checking your capacity; you’re taking responsibility for your own well-being.

It’s not selfish to put yourself first sometimes—it’s necessary.

When your cup is full, you can give from a place of abundance, and that’s when you’re at your best as a leader.

So, what does this moment call for? Listen to what your body, mind, and spirit are telling you, and honor that.
For more, follow The Amplified Life Company @carmenohling on LinkedIn and Instagram 
What It Takes to Achieve Greatness: Lessons from the Paris 2024 Olympic Silver Medalists

What It Takes to Achieve Greatness: Lessons from the Paris 2024 Olympic Silver Medalists

I was in total awe watching the 2024 Paris Olympics.
 
I was energized and inspired by being able to witness athletes achieve such feats that many said were previously unachievable.
 
This led me to contemplate the high-performance habits we follow and teach at the Amplified Life Company, so we dug in a bit to research some of the best athletes showcasing their skills in Paris.
 
CASE STUDY:
 
Kassidy Cook and Sarah Bacon “Cook-n-Bacon”
 
Paris 2024 Olympic Silver Medalists, Women’s Synchronized Diving
 
To achieve a silver medal in women’s synchronized diving, both Cook and Bacon had to overcome multiple challenges, including devasting injuries that set them back multiple times from achieving their goals.
 
However, they both persisted, but that persistence would not have happened without three things:
  1. The support and encouragement of the right coach and community around them.
  2. The intrinsic drive they both embody is shown through the seemingly small acts repeated daily, which, over time, led to big results.
  3. Being willing to do things differently, to get uncomfortable, to fail and go back to the drawing board and go all in again.
Bacon attended the University of Minnesota as part of the elite diving team.  During her 4 years with the team, she was able to dramatically change her physique. Because of this significant change in her physique, she took her diving to the next level, spinning faster and making dives way easier, with her entries being even cleaner. 
 
This change was thanks to her coach, who sat her down her freshman year and told her that if she wanted to be exceptional at the sport of diving and reach her full potential, she was going to have to change something.  With that advice, Bacon committed to cardio every day, lifting heavy weights and diving three hours a day.  Read that again: she worked 3 hours a day on her craft.
 
When was the last time you spent 3 hours a day on something that you say you’re “going all in on?” 
 
After watching and listening to Cook and Bacon speak and reading multiple interviews, it became extremely apparent that they each hold a deep sense of intrinsic motivation and a drive and determination to do the mundane, small steps required daily to achieve greatness.  They are willing to go for it all, fail, go back to the drawing board, do things differently, and go all in repeatedly.
 
“It’s 90% mental, 10% skill is what I would say. If your mental game isn’t strong in this sport, you’re gonna fall apart and crumble,” Bacon said.
 
“It was that moment when all your hard work comes to fruition. Sometimes that doesn’t always happen. You don’t always get the result you want, and that’s happened to us before,” Cook told USA Diving.
 
“Once we landed in the water, we knew we landed in the water as Olympians and that we were going to Paris. We were just overwhelmed with emotion.”
 
Key in on what Cook told the reporter here, “You don’t always get the results that you want….” 
 
Isn’t that true with just about anything in life?  Unless you’re simply going through the motions of everyday life, cruising by and not ever challenging or stretching yourself.
 
Just watch this video of their dive in the 2024 Olympic Trials that punched their ticket to the Paris Olympics: THIS VIDEO
 

What did you notice? 

 

Their coaches? 

Their family, friends, and other team members that were there cheering them on? 

 

That’s what I noticed right away!  
 
When asked about mental resilience, Cook recently shared this, “It’s been hard mentally,” the Indianapolis native said. 
 
I remember having a conversation with my boyfriend before I decided to go to the Olympics. I just asked him, ‘Is it all worth it? What happens if I come back and end up not making the Olympic team.’ 
 
… And he looked me in the eyes and said, ‘No, you’re going to go back. You’re going to dive, and we’re going to make your dream happen.’ So happy that he talked me through that and pushed me to come back.”
 
I am still in awe.
 
I am next-level inspired, which is the true definition of aspirational!
 
That formula is: Inspiration + Action = Aspirational
 
In closing, the three themes that continued to be presented time and time again that amplified athletes from good to great, from skilled to exceptional were:
  1. Failure is part of the process.
  2. You cannot become an Olympian on your own.
  3. Intrinsic motivation is required to do the mundane, small steps required daily to achieve greatness.
Here’s to discovering greatness in your journey of life and business.
Need some direction, tools or resources on your journey?

Book a Walk + Talk Call with the Amplified Life Team HERE.

STOP TRYING TO DO IT ALL AND BE EVERYTHING TO EVERYONE!

Are you finally ready to let go of doing it all, feeling overwhelmed and not finding joy in your life? I remember the day I said “no more” and  I let it all go!  I’ve created this guide with 3 simple steps for you to get started and find more joy in your everyday life and way less stress!

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